TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg issued the following statement on Monday on the payouts to the Rutgers Athletic Director and coach that total more than $2.2 million:
“The fact that Rutgers University will spend more than $2.2 million in public funds as payouts to the coach and the athletic director is a disgraceful way of addressing the scandalous behavior and irresponsible actions of those who failed to live up to their leadership responsibilities. It amounts to a financial reward for bad behavior with money that should go to educational needs at Rutgers.
“A payout of $1.2 million, plus a car allowance, extended health insurance and the continued use of a Rutgers laptop and IPad is a perverse way of holding the athletic director accountable. It would be more cost effective if he was given another job to perform at Rutgers, such as teaching others about ‘civic responsibility and civil behavior.’
“This episode has extracted a cost on the prestige of a highly-regarded university. That cost shouldn’t include millions of dollars in buyouts. There are lessons to be learned from this experience and one of them should be that bad behavior is not rewarded.”